Eid al-Adha, 2017

Today we celebrate Eid al-Adha, the holiest Muslim day.This ends the Haij the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. It commemorates the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son Isaac, interrupted by divine intervention.

The Muslims have the most colorful founder of the world’s major religeons. Mohammed was born (c 570 AD) and raised in Mecca and began his religeon there. Opposition, danger, and death threats caused him to flee. After an adventurous journey evading pursuers, he reached the nearby city of Medina. There his religeon gained followers and power until he took over the city. Then he led the conquest of Mecca. With his power base in two major cities, he now had the nucleus of an empire in Arabia. This led to his conquest of the Arabian Peninsula.